Comments Posted By matgb
Displaying 1 To 10 Of 29 Comments
Hmm, wondering if I might like Bill... *checks* looks like it.
I started by reciprocating, these days no, I'm linking to what I like tor ead, and the undoubted best, everyone else I vaguely like gets put into my irregular reads which will display a few randomly, a feature I definately like. Bill already links to one of the blogs I sometimes write for so we're good.
From what I've read, too many links out devalues them completely, Google treats you as a link farm and doesn't pay any attention any more, so am cutting back a lot and linking to the aggregators instead.
Comment Posted By MatGB On 24.09.2006 @ 22:35
Well, Oaten, fortunately, is now almost completely detached from the party and won't be standing again. As Laban himself notes, the rest of the LibDem leadership told him to stop being insane.
As for the rest?
Suicide bombers? No, Tonge said she 'understood' the motivation, and was sacked from a front bench role for her pains. Saying you understand something is not to say you support it; I understand anti-EU wingnuttery, but I don't support it ;-)
Votes to people in jail? Yup, there's a good reason for that, it's a good idea. Not for lifers, but for those due to be released, as it means they're removed from but notdetached from society. If we're not going to lock every criminal up and throw away the key then we have to work to rehabilitate those that have been denied liberty for non-life crimes. That means making sure they're still humans. That's one of Paul's earlier articles, we both got better at writing as we kept blogging.
As for the go-kart lessons, I don't see a problem. I was fortunate as a kid to be enrolled as a Scout, and that allowed me to learn sailing, rowing, etc. Many kids aren't given such opportunities, and have no sense of teamwork or personal responsibilities. Teach them useful skills linked to what they like, then perhaps they can be more focused. Perhaps.
There's never a guarantee of anything of course. But I'm firmly in the punish and rehabilitate camp. Can't do one without the other.
Comment Posted By MatGB On 23.09.2006 @ 15:26
Cool, thanks for the link.
Dave, first define traitor. Wait, if you're the same Dave now commenting at mine, I know what you mean, so assume you mean Europe, in which case I'll say that there are few Lib Dems who would disagree with huge amounts of Hague's stated policy, constructive engagement to reform, democratise and decentralise. Works for me.
Essentially, If you live in a Labour/Lib Dem marginal, can you really live with the idea of 4 more years of NuLab? If you live, like me, in a Tory/LibDem marginal, then the choice is easy. It's the anti Labour vote we need to mobilise. It was the anti-Tory vote that got Major out in '97, it'll be an anti-NuLab vote in '09/'10. If I need to, I'll vote Tory. That hurts me just as much as it hurts many Tories to even think about voting LibDem, if not moreseo.
Comment Posted By MatGB On 22.09.2006 @ 22:18
The one where I can click on my name and find comments made here by me. They've got similar at Making Light, but that's not WP.
I actually found Blogger easier to style, but I think WP will be more flexible when I've learnt it.
Comment Posted By MatGB On 21.09.2006 @ 20:23
I'm really liking Wordpress. Trackback emails, easy posting, and weird plug ins.
What's the commenter search plugin then? That is more than a little cool.
Comment Posted By MatGB On 20.09.2006 @ 19:40
LibDem-Tory Coalition made possible
Aye, if Blair had kept his promises, we'd have had electoral reform, and all of these debates would be redundant, as we'd already have lived under coalitions and seen how they worked.
Also, Blair would likely already be gone, and probably no Iraq mess (ie if we'd gone it, it would've been, as Tebbit argued, with a clear plan of action, an exit strategy, etc, not the mess with no goal that we've got).
Also, no E-P arguments, we'd have had genuine devolution already, instead, eventually, we were offered PRecott's white elephants and, rightly, said no. Ah well.
Comment Posted By MatGB On 22.09.2006 @ 23:15
Oh, I think they (we? still not sure I'm that aligned yet) get it. They just disagree with it vehemently.
It'd be a poor polity where every party simply sought the middle ground majority on every issue. Just as Old Labour dinosaurs should have a voice, so should rehabilitationist inclusionists (like, um, me). Whether it should be the dominant one?
I believe in consensus politics, remember? If the majority won't back it, it shouldn't really happen. win the debate, get the votes, get the policy. No party has won the majority of votes for a long time, and it's likekly no one will break the 40% mark next time, let alone come close to 50. Compromise around the best ideas, and implement the radical ones if the debate can be won.
Still completely unsure on the Thatcher legacy, I think the early reforms were needed, some of her partizanship and class based policies were reprehensible, and regardles of good or bad, she really did lose it during her third term. A newly dynamic economy was good. The way some of the reforms were implemented made her the subject of hatred for many, and the love/hate thing is really palpable 17 years on.
Besides, Major got more votes and a higher percentage than either she or Blair ever managed...
Comment Posted By MatGB On 21.09.2006 @ 20:22
Ah, the tax policy doesn't matter as a specific for any future coalition anyway, such things would alwasy be open to negotiation. Little radical activist me would rather have kept a top rate, but given the revenue neutral assertion, I'm happy. The details are beyond me anyway, doubt I'll ever worry about Capital Gains tax, so I've never bothered to learn it. In the unlikeyl event I do get wealthy, I'll find out waht they're talking about.
But, um, isn't love thy mugger bit a bit more Cameron stylee? Oh, sorry, that was hug a hoodie. I think the real difference is we place more emphasis on the need for rehabilitation and removal of causes, I don't really detect a desire to not actually punish those who've done wrong, we just look for more innovative methods of making sure it doesn't happen again.
Still, things are heading in the right direction. Now let's see how Dave does at the Rally. Sorry, Conference. It's still a conference, right? You all confer, and then agree with the leader, and the only important count is how long the ovation is?
I think I prefer policy discussion and real debates ;-)
Comment Posted By MatGB On 20.09.2006 @ 19:23
Gav, I've also been looking, with no luck. If you know anyone that would be interested in settin gup, pretty sure there's be demand. Cafepress is, actually, awful. T-shirts I've bought from them fade very badly in short order, unfortunately.
Comment Posted By MatGB On 15.07.2006 @ 23:52
"no demand"? I hate/love it when politicians say that. Charlie reckons "no demand" for EP, Darling says "no demand" for Sunday opening.
Here. Me. I demand it, I want it, and in fact my life would be much easier if it was an option, I drive past a supermarket every Sunday evening, it's perfect for shopping, but at any other time I have to go out of my way to an inferior store. Ah well.
Besides, I worked 2pm until 1.30am last Sunday, and am likely to do so again this Sunday. This atheist doesn't think Sunday has been "special" for years, I want to choose my days off, thanks very much...
Comment Posted By MatGB On 06.07.2006 @ 22:49
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